UN chief in Kingdom to bolster regional peace

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah receives United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at his palace in Jeddah on Wednesday night. Ban is meeting Arab leaders to seek support for his call for Israel and Hamas to end the violence in Gaza. (SPA)

UN chief Ban Ki-moon arrived in Jeddah late on Wednesday for talks with Saudi leaders, reiterating his call for Israel and Hamas to end the violence in Gaza.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah earlier held talks in Jeddah with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on major regional and international issues, including the latest developments in Palestine following Israel’s brutal aggression on Gaza.

According to an official statement carried by Saudi Press Agency, the two leaders also discussed prospects of expanding cooperation between the two GCC countries.

A Doha-based source told Reuters that the primary purpose of the emir’s visit was to find a way to reach a cease-fire agreement in Gaza.

“Qatar is committed to the Palestinian people and wants to do everything to stop the killing,” said the source. “The Emir’s visit to Saudi Arabia comes as part of that,” he said.

On Sunday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met Sheikh Tamim in Doha and stressed the unity of the Palestinian people.

Officials from Abbas camp told Reuters that their conditions were aligned with those of Hamas.
The outcome of Sheikh Tamim’s talks in Jeddah was yet to be revealed but a Saudi source familiar with the matter told Reuters Saudi Arabia would insist on Egypt’s historic role in the Palestinian issue.

Qatari Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Attiyah said on Sunday Qatar’s role was just to facilitate communication.

“Qatar is helping us in communicating our message, that’s all it is,” said a Doha-based Hamas source.